Container Labels¶

docker-backup uses Docker labels to configure backups on individual containers. This allows backup configuration to live alongside your container definitions.

Label Format¶

Labels follow the pattern:

docker-backup.<config-name>.<option>=<value>

Where:

docker-backup is the fixed label prefix
<config-name> is a unique name for this backup configuration
<option> is the configuration option

Basic Example¶

labels:
  # Enable backup discovery
  - docker-backup.enable=true

  # Define a backup config named "db"
  - docker-backup.db.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.db.schedule=0 3 * * *
  - docker-backup.db.retention=7

Label Reference¶

Global Labels¶

These labels apply to the entire container:

Label	Required	Description
`docker-backup.enable`	Yes	Set to `true` to enable backup discovery
`docker-backup.notify`	No	Comma-separated list of notification providers

Backup Config Labels¶

These labels define individual backup configurations. Replace <name> with your config name (e.g., db, files, data):

Label	Required	Default	Description
`docker-backup.<name>.type`	Yes	-	Backup type (e.g., `postgres`, `mysql`)
`docker-backup.<name>.schedule`	Yes	-	Cron expression for scheduling
`docker-backup.<name>.retention`	No	`7`	Number of backups to keep
`docker-backup.<name>.storage`	No	Default pool	Storage pool name
`docker-backup.<name>.notify`	No	Global notify	Override notification providers

Multiple Backup Configurations¶

A single container can have multiple backup configurations with different schedules, types, or storage destinations:

labels:
  - docker-backup.enable=true
  - docker-backup.notify=telegram

  # Hourly database backup to S3
  - docker-backup.hourly.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.hourly.schedule=0 * * * *
  - docker-backup.hourly.retention=24
  - docker-backup.hourly.storage=s3

  # Daily database backup to local (long-term)
  - docker-backup.daily.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.daily.schedule=0 3 * * *
  - docker-backup.daily.retention=30
  - docker-backup.daily.storage=local

Cron Schedule Format¶

The schedule uses standard cron syntax:

┌───────────── minute (0-59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0-6, Sunday=0)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *

Common Schedules¶

Schedule	Description
`0 3 * * *`	Daily at 3:00 AM
`0 /6 * *`	Every 6 hours
`0 * * * *`	Every hour
`/15 * * *`	Every 15 minutes
`0 3 * * 0`	Weekly on Sunday at 3:00 AM
`0 3 1 * *`	Monthly on the 1^st at 3:00 AM

Storage Selection¶

Using Default Storage¶

If no storage is specified, the default storage pool is used:

labels:
  - docker-backup.enable=true
  - docker-backup.db.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.db.schedule=0 3 * * *
  # Uses --default-storage pool

Specifying Storage Pool¶

Override the storage pool for specific backups:

labels:
  - docker-backup.enable=true
  - docker-backup.db.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.db.schedule=0 3 * * *
  - docker-backup.db.storage=s3-offsite

Notifications¶

Container-Level Notifications¶

Apply to all backup configs on the container:

labels:
  - docker-backup.enable=true
  - docker-backup.notify=telegram,discord
  - docker-backup.db.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.db.schedule=0 3 * * *

Per-Config Notifications¶

Override notifications for specific backup configs:

labels:
  - docker-backup.enable=true
  - docker-backup.notify=telegram

  # This config uses global notify (telegram)
  - docker-backup.hourly.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.hourly.schedule=0 * * * *

  # This config overrides to discord only
  - docker-backup.daily.type=postgres
  - docker-backup.daily.schedule=0 3 * * *
  - docker-backup.daily.notify=discord

Complete Example¶

compose.yml

services:
  app-db:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: app
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
      POSTGRES_DB: application
    labels:
      # Enable backups
      - docker-backup.enable=true

      # Send notifications to telegram for all backups
      - docker-backup.notify=telegram

      # Frequent backups to fast local storage
      - docker-backup.frequent.type=postgres
      - docker-backup.frequent.schedule=0 * * * *
      - docker-backup.frequent.retention=24
      - docker-backup.frequent.storage=local-fast

      # Daily backups to S3 for disaster recovery
      - docker-backup.daily.type=postgres
      - docker-backup.daily.schedule=0 2 * * *
      - docker-backup.daily.retention=30
      - docker-backup.daily.storage=s3-backup

      # Weekly full backup with longer retention
      - docker-backup.weekly.type=postgres
      - docker-backup.weekly.schedule=0 3 * * 0
      - docker-backup.weekly.retention=12
      - docker-backup.weekly.storage=s3-archive